Kristaps Porzingis dazzled in his return from injury and the Boston Celtics dominated on both ends of the floor to beat the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 in game one of the NBA Finals on Thursday.

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Kristaps Porzingis makes a key impact in his return as the <a href="https://twitter.com/celtics?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@celtics</a> take a 1-0 lead in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAFinals</a> presented by <a href="https://twitter.com/YouTubeTV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@YouTubeTV</a>! 
 
Jaylen Brown: 22 PTS, 6 REB, 3 BLK, 3 STL 
Jayson Tatum: 16 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST 
Luka Doncic: 30 PTS, 4 3PM, 10 REB 
 
Game 2: Sunday, 8:00pm/et on ABC <a href="https://t.co/oHVDcafkD0">pic.twitter.com/oHVDcafkD0</a>
— NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1798923345205043661?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
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Porzingis missed 10 games after straining his right calf in the first round of the playoffs but made an immediate impact on his return in front of a raucous home crowd.

The Celtics built a 29-point lead in the first half and then thwarted the Mavericks' third-quarter surge to gain the upper hand in the best-of-seven championship series.

Porzingis came off the bench against his former team and scored 11 points with three rebounds and a pair of big blocks in the first quarter as Boston jumped to a 37-20 lead.

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After eight lead changes in little more than six minutes, the Celtics began to impose themselves, pulling away with the help of seven three-pointers in the first quarter alone and keeping up the relentless pace as the Mavs struggled to get their offense firing.

Boston finished with 16 three-pointers on a whopping 42 attempts. Jaylen Brown scored 22 points to lead six Celtics players who scored in double figures.

Brown had three of the Celtics' nine blocked shots and three of their six steals in an outstanding defensive display. Porzingis finished with 20 points and Jayson Tatum scored 16 points with 11 rebounds and five assists.

<h2>- Doncic scores 30 -</h2>

Dallas star Luka Doncic scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. But he had just one assist and star teammate Kyrie Irving was limited to 12 points on six-of-19 shooting.

Nevertheless, the Mavs managed to slice the deficit to eight points in the third quarter, only for the Celtics to pull away again.

"Defensively we made some big-time plays," Brown said. "When they cut it to eight, that's when the game started.

"I liked how our team responded. We stayed composed. Offensively, we got to our spacing and was able to push that lead back out and make some plays on offense.

"That was a big third quarter," he said.

Doncic, who has been playing through a right knee injury and a sore left ankle, struggled to find his shot.

He picked up the pace in the second quarter but Dallas couldn't find a way to slow the Celtics, who pushed their lead to 29 points, 58-29, on Tatum's three-pointer with 4:11 left in the first half.

That capped a 14-4 scoring run that included a steal and driving dunk from Brown.

The Celtics' early surge had TD Garden rocking, the crowd featuring luminaries from around the sports world including Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.

Dallas made a push to start the third, when the Celtics went cold from three-point range and Dallas heated up.

Doncic drilled a trey to cut the deficit to 72-64 with 4:28 left in the period.

"I think in those moments we were playing our basketball," Doncic said. "We were getting stops. We didn't allow them to offensive rebound. We were having fun out there those couple moments, and that's what we've got to do more."

It didn't last however. A cutting dunk from Porzingis keyed a 14-0 scoring run that included Brown's rejection at the rim of Derrick Jones Jr. and another Brown block on Irving.

Three-pointers from Tatum, Al Horford and Brown saw the Celtics take an 86-66 lead into the fourth.

"When a team goes on a run, you've got to manage it, you've got to stay composed, and you've got to keep playing basketball," Brown said. "It's almost like you just have short-term memory a little bit, like the team's not even on a run."

Kristaps Porzingis dazzled in his return from injury and the Boston Celtics dominated on both ends of the floor to beat the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 in game one of the NBA Finals on Thursday.

Kristaps Porzingis dazzled in his return from injury and the Boston Celtics dominated on both ends of the floor to beat the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 in game one of the NBA Finals on Thursday. Kristaps Porzingis makes a key impact in his return as the @celtics take a 1-0 lead in the #NBAFinals presented by @YouTubeTV! Jaylen Brown: 22 PTS, 6 REB, 3 BLK, 3 STL Jayson Tatum: 16 PTS, 11 REB, 5 AST Luka Doncic: 30 PTS, 4 3PM, 10 REB Game 2: Sunday, 8:00pm/et on ABC pic.twitter.com/oHVDcafkD0 — NBA (@NBA) June 7, 2024 × Porzingis missed 10 games after straining his right calf in the first round of the playoffs but made an immediate impact on his return in front of a raucous home crowd. The Celtics built a 29-point lead in the first half and then thwarted the Mavericks' third-quarter surge to gain the upper hand in the best-of-seven championship series. Porzingis came off the bench against his former team and scored 11 points with three rebounds and a pair of big blocks in the first quarter as Boston jumped to a 37-20 lead. ALSO READ: French Open: Italy's Jasmine Paolini in dreamland after reaching first-ever Grand Slam final After eight lead changes in little more than six minutes, the Celtics began to impose themselves, pulling away with the help of seven three-pointers in the first quarter alone and keeping up the relentless pace as the Mavs struggled to get their offense firing. Boston finished with 16 three-pointers on a whopping 42 attempts. Jaylen Brown scored 22 points to lead six Celtics players who scored in double figures. Brown had three of the Celtics' nine blocked shots and three of their six steals in an outstanding defensive display. Porzingis finished with 20 points and Jayson Tatum scored 16 points with 11 rebounds and five assists. - Doncic scores 30 - Dallas star Luka Doncic scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. But he had just one assist and star teammate Kyrie Irving was limited to 12 points on six-of-19 shooting. Nevertheless, the Mavs managed to slice the deficit to eight points in the third quarter, only for the Celtics to pull away again. "Defensively we made some big-time plays," Brown said. "When they cut it to eight, that's when the game started. "I liked how our team responded. We stayed composed. Offensively, we got to our spacing and was able to push that lead back out and make some plays on offense. "That was a big third quarter," he said. Doncic, who has been playing through a right knee injury and a sore left ankle, struggled to find his shot. He picked up the pace in the second quarter but Dallas couldn't find a way to slow the Celtics, who pushed their lead to 29 points, 58-29, on Tatum's three-pointer with 4:11 left in the first half. That capped a 14-4 scoring run that included a steal and driving dunk from Brown. The Celtics' early surge had TD Garden rocking, the crowd featuring luminaries from around the sports world including Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. Dallas made a push to start the third, when the Celtics went cold from three-point range and Dallas heated up. Doncic drilled a trey to cut the deficit to 72-64 with 4:28 left in the period. "I think in those moments we were playing our basketball," Doncic said. "We were getting stops. We didn't allow them to offensive rebound. We were having fun out there those couple moments, and that's what we've got to do more." It didn't last however. A cutting dunk from Porzingis keyed a 14-0 scoring run that included Brown's rejection at the rim of Derrick Jones Jr. and another Brown block on Irving. Three-pointers from Tatum, Al Horford and Brown saw the Celtics take an 86-66 lead into the fourth. "When a team goes on a run, you've got to manage it, you've got to stay composed, and you've got to keep playing basketball," Brown said. "It's almost like you just have short-term memory a little bit, like the team's not even on a run."

Basketball: Celtics thump Mavericks 107-89 in game one of NBA Finals

Luka Doncic matched the fourth-highest scoring performance in NBA history Friday, pouring in 73 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 148-143 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

A masterful individual performance saw the Slovenian star set a Mavs record with 41 first-half points, with the scorching run continuing in the second half as Dallas kept the determined Hawks at bay.

Doncic added 10 rebounds and seven assists. He connected on 25 of 33 shots from the floor -- including eight three-pointers -- and made 15 of his 16 free throws.

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"I was just going, you know, whatever the defense give me," Doncic said. "In the second half they doubled me all the time so I tried to make some plays."

His sensational performance spoiled the return of Trae Young, who led the Hawks with 30 points after missing two games in concussion protocol.

Doncic's franchise-record effort pushed him into elite NBA territory. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant have scored more points in a game, Chamberlain with the league record 100 in 1962 and Bryant with 81 in 2006.

Chamberlain also owns a 78-point performance and two of 73 -- a number also reached by David Thompson and, now, Doncic.

"It's beautiful," Doncic said. "I'm glad we got a win."

The Hawks had pulled within three points with less than two minutes to play, but Doncic drove for a layup, drew a foul and converted the free throw to help push the lead back to seven with 58 seconds left.

A Young basket cut the deficit to three with 10 seconds to play, but Tim Hardaway Jr. made a pair of free throws to seal it for the Mavs, who were without injured Kyrie Irving.

Doncic's 25 baskets were a career high and he crushed his own franchise record of 60 points, set against the New York Knicks on December 27, 2022.

Doncic's effort came less than a week after Joel Embiid poured in 70 in a Philadelphia 76ers win over San Antonio -- and it wasn't the only eye-popping outburst of the night.

Phoenix guard Devin Booker's 62-point performance, however, came in a losing effort as the Indiana Pacers triumphed 133-131 to halt the Suns' seven-game winning streak.

Booker broke his own Suns record for points in a quarter with 29 in the first.

They led by as many as 17 but the Pacers had tied it up with less than a minute to play and Obi Toppin's putback basket off a Pascal Siakam miss sealed the victory as Booker couldn't get his three-pointer to fall as time expired.

It was Booker's second game this season of 50 or more points after a 52-point showing against New Orleans earlier this month. He had a career-high 70 against Boston in 2017.

Siakam scored 31 points, leading six Pacers players in double figures as Indiana notched a second straight win.

Luka Doncic matched the fourth-highest scoring performance in NBA history Friday, pouring in 73 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 148-143 victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Luka Doncic matched the fourth-highest scoring performance in NBA history Friday, pouring in 73 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 148-143 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. A masterful individual performance saw the Slovenian star set a Mavs record with 41 first-half points, with the scorching run continuing in the second half as Dallas kept the determined Hawks at bay. Doncic added 10 rebounds and seven assists. He connected on 25 of 33 shots from the floor -- including eight three-pointers -- and made 15 of his 16 free throws. Also Read: Luis Rubiales' three-year ban for World Cup kiss confirmed by FIFA "I was just going, you know, whatever the defense give me," Doncic said. "In the second half they doubled me all the time so I tried to make some plays." His sensational performance spoiled the return of Trae Young, who led the Hawks with 30 points after missing two games in concussion protocol. Doncic's franchise-record effort pushed him into elite NBA territory. Only Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant have scored more points in a game, Chamberlain with the league record 100 in 1962 and Bryant with 81 in 2006. Chamberlain also owns a 78-point performance and two of 73 -- a number also reached by David Thompson and, now, Doncic. "It's beautiful," Doncic said. "I'm glad we got a win." The Hawks had pulled within three points with less than two minutes to play, but Doncic drove for a layup, drew a foul and converted the free throw to help push the lead back to seven with 58 seconds left. A Young basket cut the deficit to three with 10 seconds to play, but Tim Hardaway Jr. made a pair of free throws to seal it for the Mavs, who were without injured Kyrie Irving. Doncic's 25 baskets were a career high and he crushed his own franchise record of 60 points, set against the New York Knicks on December 27, 2022. Doncic's effort came less than a week after Joel Embiid poured in 70 in a Philadelphia 76ers win over San Antonio -- and it wasn't the only eye-popping outburst of the night. Phoenix guard Devin Booker's 62-point performance, however, came in a losing effort as the Indiana Pacers triumphed 133-131 to halt the Suns' seven-game winning streak. Booker broke his own Suns record for points in a quarter with 29 in the first. They led by as many as 17 but the Pacers had tied it up with less than a minute to play and Obi Toppin's putback basket off a Pascal Siakam miss sealed the victory as Booker couldn't get his three-pointer to fall as time expired. It was Booker's second game this season of 50 or more points after a 52-point showing against New Orleans earlier this month. He had a career-high 70 against Boston in 2017. Siakam scored 31 points, leading six Pacers players in double figures as Indiana notched a second straight win.

Luka Doncic drops record 73 points in Dallas Mavericks' win over Atlanta Hawks

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